1 Week in Sweden - Part 5 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3.5 Forks

Leva Kungslador  Toftavägen 20, 622 59 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

It was a bit of a bummer that we couldn't rent a car in Gotland to check out the other parts of the island.  I tried to ride a bike but apparently one can forget how to ride one, so we were stuck walking around the immediate area near Visby which I don't really recommend.

I had read about this farm place that didn't look so far away on the map but you do have to walk through a highway and then a giant lily pad forest to get there so having a car is still preferred.  Once you're there, you feel like you're on a hippie commune  - there's a greenhouse, small farm, playground and organic food/craft store on site.  Inside the main building there is an all-you-can eat buffet that is primarily vegan with some meat dishes.  I know, it kind of sounds gross but it wasn't wasn't that bad.  I got a plate of potatoes, salad,  bread with dips, chickpeas, corn, steamed eggplant and they also had a pot roast like dish.  Not surprisingly, everything needed a bit of salt to it, especially the eggplant but it felt very healthy and farm picked. 

But the best part of this place are the desserts.  Oh my god, they are delicious (and separate from the buffet).  I actually went back twice because I wanted to try some many different things.  The above dessert, the dromtarta, was my favorite.  It was like a soft chocolate sponge cake filled with yummy custard - it was basically a chocolate roll but very moist and delicious.  I saved it for the World Cup viewing but wished that I got more for the rest of the evening.

It was definitely an adventure to get here and even though it was a bit of a hike, it was still nice to see a different part of the area.  Plus that chocolate roll was definitely worth the trek.  Total bill: $25/pp for the buffet

 Kitchen and Table 6 Strandgatan, 621 57 Visby, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

For better or worse, I have this weird aversion to hotel restaurants when I travel.  I know they have gotten better and in some cities, they are the hot spot to go to and many celebrity chefs are now putting their names all over them.  But in my mind, I still think of them as kind of a list ditch resort when you have no other options.   Not surprisingly, Marcus Samuelson (who was raised in Sweden) has a good presence in Sweden but what's surprising is that his restaurant is in a Clarion in Visby of all Swedish places (although I just read that Visby has more restaurants per capita in all of Sweden!).  

To be fair, Clarions in Europe are much nicer than the Clarions in the US and this one was actually pretty decent.  We decided to give this place a go on our last night here before we hit up a bar down the street.  The menu claims to be New York meets Sweden but I'm not sure what that really means.  It was a mish mosh of items from burgers, pizzas, tacos, meat platters, and an "urban garden" section which was veggies with a choice of protein.  I opted for the cheese burger simply because there wasn't anything else speaking to me. 

I will say that cheese burger was super tasty.  It was a soft potato bun, with a moist patty and yummy melted cheese with all the fixins.  Who knew Visby would be the place for a spot-on American burger?  It also came with super crunchy fries to round out the whole Americana experience. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my meal.  Unfortunately, the downside was the service.  I feel a bit bad crapping on it because it was just 2 girls running the whole place but the service was abysmally slow.  Like extremely painful.  What also sucked is that my cocktail was only half full - it's like they started to pour it, got side tracked and then never finished.  For $15, I should be getting the whole damn cocktail and then some.   Luckily, we got more (and better cocktails) at this bar/restaurant down the street called Supper which was apparently THE place to be.  It was jammed packed with all sorts of beautiful people and super fun.  I wouldn't poo poo Kitchen and Table, I would probably just double check to make sure they are fully staffed before you sit down.

Photo Credit: http://gotlandstips.se/kitchen-table/

1 Week in Sweden - Part 4 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3.5 - 4.5 Forks

Fotografiksa Stadsgårdshamnen 22, 116 45 Stockholm, Sweden                                              4.5 Forks

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a train snafu in Gothenburg, so we were sprinting to our dinner reservation at Fotografiska.  Luckily, they still let us in at 9:45pm even we were 30 minutes late.  Fotografiska is primarily a really cool photography museum that just happens to have an equally cool restaurant and cafe upstairs.  You need to make a reservation in advance but it's totally worth it as the views and sunset are absolutely stunning - which was 11pm when we were there. 

The menu is all plant focused - meaning the only meat is a side protein dish and it costs extra.  The menu is a pre-fixe meal that's broken down into their  "favorites" (4 dishes) for 540 SEK ($59 USD) and then you can add "cold" dishes (3 dishes) for 135 SEK ($15 USD) or "warm" dishes (4 dishes) also for 135 SEK.  There's also "tonight's side" which is a animal protein for 145 SEK or $16 USD and a cheese plate option for 55 SEK or $6 USD.   Since it was late, we opted to just get the favorites, which turned out to be more than enough food. 

I want to first say the the food is simply stunning to look at.  I don't know if it was the sunset that was skewing everything but the food all looked like it belonged in a straight out of food magazine or something.  We started with amazing sugar snap peas that were incredibly fresh, super green in color and tasted like they just came from the farm.  The restaurant is the epitome of farm to table - they have very close relationships with local farmers and growers and you can tell.  Next were raw carrots ripped straight from the ground and served with onion dip and fried shallots.  I usually hate raw carrots but there was something so compelling about these that I had to try them and they were pretty good - I still didn't love them but it was worth trying.  Next came the potatoes done 3 ways - pickled, boiled and fried and served with smoked sour cream and fish roe.  Amazing - who doesn't love potatoes?! Then coupled with the smoked sour cream and roe, it was really perfectly executed.  Lastly we had baked onion with mushroom, truffle cream and artichoke chips.   The sign of a great vegetarian meal is when you don't miss meat and all these dishes did that.  We ended the meal with strawberries with flan which was delicious and a chocolate brownie, which was the only meh dish of the night.  

By the time we were done, it was well past midnight.  Originally we had wanted to walk around the museum but it was so late.  The museum was actually still open - it was open until 2am, which if you can stay up that late, it's super cool and slightly creepy to walk around the museum at that hour.  Our super nice waitress gave us a "tip" and said there was a different elevator that drops you off inside the museum and she wouldn't say anything.   Wink wink.  We got to see the entire museum and we weren't the only ones there late at night.   

Even though our day started off with a super bummer, it ended in the best way.  This was definitely a highlight for me and thanks to Lav for lovely birthday dinner!

Creperie and Logi Wallers Plats 3, 621 56 Visby, Sweden                                                        3.5 Forks

We ended our Swedish adventures on a lovely island 1 hour away from Stockholm called Gotland - it's where the locals go for the summer...I guess it's sort of like their version of the Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard.  It gets packed in July and August - so plan accordingly because I booked our hotel in Jan and had a really hard time finding anything and all the rental cars were already sold out.  The main town is called Visby and if you can,  rent a car as I heard that the really beautiful parts are on the other side of the island.  But the town of Visby is an adorable medieval town with tons of bars and restaurants and open air churches.  We were there during the World Cup and we got to watch the game with all the locals in the middle of town next to an open air church, it was pretty cool. 

The weekend we were there was also their politicians weekend, which explained why it was so crowded.   All the politicians come to the island and make speeches and campaign while Swedes come and listen to what they have to say.  While most locals we talked to in Stockholm thought it would be a boring weekend, I found it to be a fascinating insight into their local ways of thinking. 

But as a result of all of this, every restaurant was jammed packed.  We had just arrived and were starving, so we ended up at this cute place that seemed to have the shortest line.  While most people on the island speak perfectly fine English, it's not as common as Stockholm but it's still super easy to get around.  The owner here kept saying my name was Johnnie and in the end I just gave up and said close enough. 

The menu here is all forms of crepes - sweet and savory.  I got the smoked salmon, horseradish cream, baby spinach and cheese.  It came on a buckwheat crepe and it was pretty tasty.  I honestly find crepes to be a totally fine but kind of boring in general and this one was no different.  It did hit the spot because we were staving and they also have a nice line up of ciders that I recommend.  I wouldn't necessarily say this is a must-go destination but it was a lovely enough establishment that if you find yourself on Gotland for the whole week, is definitely worth a try.  Total bill: $34/pp with tax and tip 

Italienaren Hästgatan 2, 621 56 Visby, Sweden                                                                         4 Forks

For such a tiny island, there are tons of restaurants in Gotland.  There's a pretty decent variety of different types of cuisine which was refreshing.  Despite all the pretty good food we had had so far, I was ready for something that wasn't super farm-to-table.  We saw a place that looked like good 'ole fashion Italian food and I was down with that.  Plus they had seating outside so that we could people watching which was fun. 

The menu here is your usual run of Italian food - antipasti, pizzas, pastas and a few secondi dishes.  I went with a bresaola carpaccio that came with blue cheese and arugula.  It was a pretty good starter and it felt nice and light, despite it having blue cheese on there.  For my main, I had linguine with clams - the pasta was cooked pretty well and there were a good number of clams to it.  My only complaint was that it was a bit oily but overall I enjoyed the experience there.  Sure, it's not authentic cuisine that you would find in Italy but hey, we are in Sweden after all. 

The other fun fact about this place is that it's right next door to this pretty fun bar called Vinegar, which I also highly recommend.  It's got this lively outdoor bar feel only it has a retractable roof to keep the noise in.  The clientele is a bit bougie but it was fun people watching none the less.  I believe they also have food there but it's more fun to sit at the bar and have cocktails instead.   After hitting up these two spots, I can see why people come to this island to chill out and get away from the main city - luckily they don't have to give up on good food while they are here.  Total bill:  $60 USD with tax, tip and 2 drinks

1 Week in Sweden - Part 3 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3.5 - 4 Forks

Kafe Hoga Nord Kyrkogatan 13, 411 15 Göteborg, Sweden                                                        4 Forks

After 3 days in Stockholm, we were ready for something different in Sweden.  When I told most locals that we were going to Gothenburg, they looked horrified.  So I was scared that we made the wrong choice but I actually thought it was a nice "long weekend" kind of destination.  I guess it's kind of like the rivalry between New York and Boston - most New Yorkers could care less about Boston but if someone was visiting from another country, I could see why there is some appeal there. 

Gothenburg is quaint city that's also surrounded by water with a fun downtown area that has lots of shops and restaurants.  The NY Times had just done a 36 Hours in Gothenburg, so we visited one of their recommended restaurants, which, surprisingly was also very vegetarian friendly. 

The cafe is hidden behind an alley way and nestled in between a champagne shop and a record shop.  It's a hipster's dream but it started as a record store and then expanded to a cafe.  The cafe itself is tiny but they have a few outdoors seats in the courtyard which makes for a really pleasant lunch during the summer time.  What I liked about Gothenburg was that it was a bit more local in that most menu didn't have English translations but obviously everyone speaks perfect English there, so the guy behind the counter was more than happy to help us out.   The menu is mostly soups and smorrebrod (open-faced sandwich).  I got the gazpacho soup and Lav got the cauliflower soup and then we each got a different kind of smorrebrod - one had ricotta, cherry tomatoes and artichokes and I can't remember the other one but it had a lot of dill on it.  

The soups alone are a major reason to come here.  They were out of this world.  I know, who thinks vegetarian soup can be mind blowing but they were.  They were clean, fresh tasting and really hit the spot.  We were both shocked at how delicious they were.  The smorrebrod were also tasty yet very traditional tasting.  If you're looking for something healthy, hip and tasty, definitely check this place out.  I just wouldn't say it's the most filling meal but you won't regret it.   Total bill:  $33 USD for two with tax and tip

Puta Madra  Magasinsgatan 3, 411 18 Göteborg, Sweden                                                         3.5 Forks

When you think of Sweden, you don't really think of Mexican food right?  But I guess since this is a university town, there are more diverse food options.  We were feeling a bit tired of the forged/veggie food scene, so when we saw that there was a Mexican restaurant in the heart of downtown, we figured why not? 

The decor and setting of the restaurant is beautiful.  We got to sit up on the rooftop and it was a super fun and lively scene.  The menu is pretty traditional Mexican (not authentic though) - tacos, tostada, ceviche, and empanadas.  We started with the guacamole, a side of black beans and I got the fish tacos.  While I preferred grilled fish tacos, a good beer batter fish tacos always hits the spot too.  Unfortunately, these were a little funky.  They were covered in this weird orange sauce that I couldn't place, a huge helping of pickled onions and then a literal bunch of cilantro (they clearly didn't bother to cut it).  While it was plenty of food, it felt like it was missing some more flavor and toppings.  Instead of the onion, I would have preferred the traditional use of cabbage and while we're at it, freaking sirracha aioli (I know, it's not very authentic but when it comes to beer batter fish tacos, I do love that combination).   The guac and beans were fine - nothing really anything to note.

Although one can't have too high of an expectation for Mexican food in Sweden, it was a bit of a let down.  But I would still recommend it as a place to go as it was packed with young locals and the vibe was really fun.  Total bill: $61 USD/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Saluhallen Kungstorget, 411 17 Göteborg, Sweden                                                                     4 Forks

Yes, I finally had Swedish meatballs.  I had been in Sweden for over 5 days and had yet to have the famous Swedish meatballs.  It's not that I was opposed to it but I honestly wasn't dying to have it and it wasn't really served in a lot of the places I went to.  I assumed it was just a touristy thing and while it probably is, it's still served up in a bunch of more casual places. 

For those of you who know me, you know that I love a good food hall.  I love the smells, sounds and feel of being surrounded by such variety and choices.  This place was no exception.  It's smack in the middle of town and Lav and I decided to grab something to eat before our 3 hour train ride back to Stockholm.  While the hall isn't overwhelming, I still had a hard time deciding what to get and finally caved and decided to get the meatballs.  There are a few stalls that have them and I picked one that seemed to have the most people around.  I got it straight up traditional style with white gravy, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce.  The meatballs were enormous and delicious.  I don't know what kind of meat they used but it was very moist.  Not that you really needed it since it was covered in gravy and then with the combination of buttery mashed potatoes and sauce, there was no way each bite wouldn't be yummy.  I guess since Sweden is cold 8 months of the year they need super hearty comfort food like this.  It reminded me of Thanksgiving food but with a small twist.  

I loved everything about it but I also didn't think I needed to load up on more meatballs on my trip.  The one nice thing about this meal was that it was probably one of the cheapest and most filling meals of the trip.  Total bill:  $7.80 

Photo Credit:  https://eatandtheworld.wordpress.com/2014/10/09/goteborg/

1 Week in Sweden - Part 2 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 3 - 3.5 Forks

Sandhamns Värdshus AB  Sandhamn 101, 130 39 Sandhamn, Sweden                                   3.5 Forks

One of the must-dos while you're in Sweden (especially during the summer months) is to take a boat ride out to the archipelago - there are hundreds of tiny islands within a few short hours from Stockholm.  Apparently this is where most Swedes spend their summer time, it's like their version of the Hudson Valley or something like that.

We decided to check out the more populated island of Sandhamn - it's the furtherest island to the east and is about 2 hours away.  I envisioned adorable small red farm houses, local bakeries, lots of greenery but with a twist of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo edge.  Unfortunately, the day we went it was pretty cold and rainy, so it made for kind of a bummer of a trip but it did have cute small houses, local bakeries and a scary empty forrest.   

By the time we got off the boat, we were starving.  You dock basically at the most populated part of the island and there are maybe 4 restaurants tops on the entire island.  We went for the one that most people seem headed to and that had a nice outdoor view even though it was drizzling. 

This cute restaurant is attached to a small hotel if you want to stay there overnight.  The menu is very traditional Swedish food - shrimp sandwiches, herring, fish stew, etc.  I opted to get a small shrimp sandwich as well as the fried herring dish.  They both felt like very traditional dishes I had to get while in Sweden.  The shrimp sandwich was delightful.  It was an open face sandwich with small peeled shrimp, egg, dill, thinly sliced cucumbers, lettuce and some micro greens.  I knew after tasting 1 bite that I should have gotten the large one instead.  But I still had a full plate of herring with mashed potatoes and lingonberries coming up.    While I love fish, I don't love fish bones even though I have no problems pulling them out while I eat.  Unfortunately these bones were so small, it was impossible to pull out and every time I swallowed one, I just felt gross.  The flip side is that the mashed potatoes and lingonberries were delicious.  Even though I didn't love the fish, it's herring and you can't come to Sweden without trying it.  Now I can cross it off my list.   

Even though we left the island pretty quickly, it was still worth a visit.  Just cross your fingers for sun when you're there.  Total bill:  $48/pp with tax and tip

Surfers  Regeringsgatan 8, 111 39 Stockholm, Sweden                                                             3.5 Forks

After over 2 weeks in Europe, I was craving some Asian food.  Not that the food I had been having  in Amsterdam and Stockholm were bad, but I was in need of flavor.   Surfers is a hipster Asian food chain and that was packed with people when we got there but we were willing to wait it out.   It's not really in a real brick and mortar space but more like an open pop-up tent which was kind of weird.  I wonder what they do in the winter time?

They have some pretty tasty cocktails to sip on while you wait which is nice since it ended up being quite a wait.   We finally sit down and our waiter is ridiculously attractive - he could have been another Hemsworth brother.  Obviously everyone in Sweden is gorgeous, so it should have come as no surprise when everywhere you turn,  you are surrounded by beautiful people. 

The menu is kind of like a "best of" Asian food, small plate style where everything is 98 SEK ($10 USD).  We got the eggplant with cumin, dan dan noodles, fried tofu and I got the bang bang chicken.  Let's be honest, it's Asian food in Sweden, so it wasn't authentic or traditional but it got the job done for the most part.  The dan dan noodles were drenched in red chili oil which was a bit of a turn off.  We left room for dessert and got the mango mouse dessert which was actually pretty tasty and a nice palate cleanser to the oil and spice of the food.  We also got these small cute chocolate truffles which paired well with the mango.  

It was a nice reprieve to finally eat something with spice and flavor to it.  The vibe was pretty cool - full of young, hip, locals - so for that reason I would say it's a fun place to go.  But it's not a major culinary destination if you're looking for a foodie restaurant.  Total bill: $94 for 2 people with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Rutabaga 

Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6 

111 48 Stockholm, 

Sweden                                            3 Forks

Rutabaga was our one fancy pants meal of the trip.  It's by famed Swedish chef 

Mathias Dahlgren who has won the Bocuse D'Or and has several Michelin stars to his name.  So we were obviously very excited for our meal.  

You can tell when you walk in that it'll be a very elevated dining experience.  The one "catch" to eating here is that it's 100% vegetarian.  It was shockingly easy for Lav to get around Sweden food wise but we hadn't yet been to a place that was 100% veggie friendly. 

The menu here is broken down into 2 pre-fixe options:  small or large.  The small is $55 USD with 4 dishes and a small snack while the large is $89 USD with 6 dishes, also with a small snack.  We figured we came all the way here, might as well go big.  They don't really have an extensive wine (the wine pairing was an additional $70-$129 USD) and their virgin drinks were $12 USD, so we didn't really have the full-on experience of a food and wine here. 

The "snacks" were plentiful and could have easily been a full meal on its own - we got yummy bread with yogurt, steamed cucumbers, fried beans wrapped in a thin pancake, and tomato consume.  This was all before the actual meal which was carrots, tartar of beefsteak tomatoes, truffle pizza, 63 degree egg in yuzu broth, cherry sorbet and rhubarb with vanilla ice cream.  Despite the fact that everything was vegetarian, I didn't really miss meat.  But the whole meal did kind of taste like it was forged out of a Scandinavian forrest in this very hipster manner.  While I appreciated the artistry of everything and it was very clean tasting, it felt like it was missing some heat or flavor to it.  I felt like this was something Goop would recommend but not Anthony Bourdain (RIP).  In any case, it's a beautiful setting and a very thoughtful meal but I wasn't fell a bit short to me.  Plus I didn't think the value was really there - spending over $100 but with only 1 glass of wine.  Total price:  $112/pp with tax and tip

1 Week in Sweden - Part 1 - Visited 6/30/2018 - 7/8/2018 4 - 4.5 Forks

Rolf Kok Tegnérgatan 41, 111 61 Stockholm, Sweden                                                                4 Forks

After 2 weeks in Amsterdam for work, I jetted off to Sweden for a vacation I had planned before I took this new job.  While it sounds super glamorous and I'm not complaining at all, it was a bit tiring being away from home for that amount of time.  But luckily Sweden is such a lovely place that it made it pretty easy to relax.  I had been wanting to check out Sweden ever since I went to Denmark and Norway a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with Scandinavian culture and life. 

While it doesn't quite have the same culinary reputation as Denmark, Swedish food was quite surprising.  Almost every meal I had was pretty good and despite it being famous for Swedish meatballs, it was a very veggie friendly place to travel to as well.

Our first stop was to stay in Stockholm for 4 days, which is plenty of time.  Stockholm isn't a huge city and honestly most people leave the city during July, so it was pretty quiet.  One place that had gotten tons of good reviews was this Rolf Kok - which translates to Rolf's Kitchen.  While I can't say I know exactly what Swedish food is, the menu gave off a very Scandinavian vibe.   Lav and I split the kale salad and I got the braised ox cheeks (265 SEK = $29.57 USD).   Maybe it was something lost in translation but the kale was really much more like a lettuce based salad but none the less, it was a fine salad.  The ox cheeks were braised in red wine came with really buttery mashed potatoes - what's not to love?  The cheeks were perfectly moist and tender to the touch.   My only complaint would be that the dish is quite heavy.  For dessert we got the strawberries/champagne dessert with ice cream and a chocolate pudding (65 SEK) - both excellent but I preferred the refreshing strawberries one. 

This was a very pleasant intro to food in Sweden and price-wise, it was pretty on point with what to expect.  Sweden is not a cheap place to vacation at all, so don't be surprised when almost every meal runs you between $70+ per person.  Total bill here:  684 SEK ($76 USD)/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit: Yelp

Rosendals Tradgard  Rosendalsterrassen 12, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden                                4.5 Forks

I know the term Farm to Table concept is so cliched and overly used but the food here is literally straight from the farm you're sitting in to your plate.  Ok, it's not really a farm, it's a greenhouse but all the veggie and ingredients are grown onsite so you know it's fresh and delicious. 

The place is a bit of a hike to get to - you have to go to through the park and then it's still a bit of a walk to get there but on a sunny day, it is 100% worth it.  The grounds are gorgeous and even if you don't want to eat the food here (not sure why you wouldn't), you can bring a picnic and lay out in the back.  

To be clear this isn't a restaurant but more like a cafe.  You wait in line in one of the greenhouses and you pick up a tray.  There are a bunch of fresh bread products and pastries in the line while you wait to get up to the counter and when you get up there, the menu is pretty limiting, but I found it to be super worth it.  I got the roasted chicken with swiss char and roasted carrots and a cinnamon roll with rose sea salt.   It's a hipster's dream. 

The food was fantastic - super fresh and even though I'm not a fan of carrots, these were incredible.  It was such a simple meal done right.  Of course, you can't come to Sweden without having a cinnamon roll and the rose salt here was a nice touch to it.  Unlike the sticky sweet buns in the US, the ones in Scandinavia are more focused on the bread with a hint of cinnamon (with no glaze).   As with any meal in Sweden,  it was a bit expensive for the amount of food, but honestly I was not bothered by it since I really thought the quality was excellent.  A must visit when you are in Stockholm.  Total bill:  $25/pp with tax and tip

Nygoret 6 116 40 Stockholm, Sweden                                                                                          4 Forks

Every article you read about Stockhom, it'll mention how the neighborhood of Sodermalm is the super hipster section of the city and it's often compared to Brooklyn.  Honestly, I don't see it or get it.  Maybe it's because we went on a Sunday and many places were closed, so it didn't really seem to have this lively feel to it but I was underwhelmed by it.  I've clearly lived in Williamsburg for too long because nothing feels as hipster as the 'Burg or Bushwick to me. 

I will say that the area did seem to have a lot of cute restaurants/cafes/bars so maybe that is where the comparison is.  I had wanted to try to Meatballs for the People but it was closed for summer vacation, so we ended up here with no reservation.  They were pretty accommodating - at first we sat outside but then it ended up being kind of chilly, so they moved us inside with no complaints.

The menu is a quite eclectic - it's got mini tacos, seared tuna, meatballs, pastas and rotisserie meats all on the same menu but yet somehow it works and everything sounded really tasty.  I started with a rhubarb negroni drink which was excellent and a nice twist on a classic.  Since everything sounded great, we split the fried halloumi burger (195 SEK) and I got the sliced steak appetizer (115 SEK), while Lav got a pasta dish (105 SEK).  The steak appetizer was delicious.  It was thinly sliced, perfectly medium rare and served with red wine vinegar sauce and topped with one of my favorite mushrooms, enoki mushrooms.   Since it was a appetizer, it was on the small side but I would have gladly gotten an entree size if they made it.  The halloumi burger was also pretty good - it was a panko crusted fried piece of halloumi cheese with avocado, harissa mayo and served on a really buttery bun.  I'm glad we split it because it was a pretty hearty "burger" on its own.  The fries that it came with were extra cripsy and divine. 

Overall, it seemed like a really nice local joint that I could see myself going to often if I lived in the area.  Total bill:  $105 USD for two people with tax and tip

2 Weeks in Amsterdam - Part 4 - Visited 6/16-6/29/2018 3.5 - 4 Forks

Pigs and Punch  Utrechtsestraat 30a, 1017 VN                                                                          3.5 Forks

Although I love BBQ, I can't say that I necessarily crave it when I'm traveling.  So I was surprised at how excited I was when a co-worker brought us to a BBQ joint in Amsterdam.  At first we were told there wasn't enough room for all of us, which made me want to go even more (the power of being told no), so when a few of us split off, we were able to snag a table downstairs for 4.  It's a pretty cool vibe inside - lots of dark wood paneling but not in an old stodgy way.  It's definitely more in a hipster way.

The menu is pretty similar to what you would see at an American BBQ place - pork belly, chicken wings, ribs, pulled work and others yummy meat stuff.  The thing with BBQ is that it's better to share than to eat your own - so I was super happy when my friend Sophia wanted to split the Pig Out for 2 (24.50 euros).  With all this meat, I had to get something green to eat so I also got the spring pea salad which was amazing and I highly recommend.  The Pig Out platter came with a lot of food - sausage, pork cheek, pork belly and pulled pork and it was served with jalapeño and BBQ sauce as well as mustard.  While I was impressed with the amount of food and that most of it was pretty true to American style BBQ, most of it was a bit too dry for my taste, especially the pork belly.   I didn't try the ribs but my co-workers mentioned that they were pretty good.   Obviously one doesn't come to Amsterdam for BBQ and while I wouldn't say this should be on your must-eat list if you're only in Amsterdam for a few days, but if you're here for an extended period of time, it's worth checking out. Plus at 24.50 euros for 2 people, it's a steal.

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Cafe Lotje  Johannes Vermeerstraat 52, 1071                                                                               4 Forks

This place was also recommended by a local co-worker and it was super packed with locals - so that's always a good sign.  In case you couldn't tell from my picture, the menu is primarily focused on steak, steak and more steak.  Be prepared to really have your heart stop and while they do have salads here, it's not a place if you're looking to be healthy.   But it is a keto dieter's dream with meat soaking in butter.

When in Amsterdam, you have to start with an order of bitterballs (5.25 euros) - these are a classic Dutch staple and deliciously addictive.  It's essentially a fried ball filled with meat and roux - it's very similar to a croquette in texture and flavor.  You can easily sit around and pop a bunch of them in your mouth while you wait for your food.  And wait you will here.  As my friend mentioned to me, Amsterdam is not known for its service.  It's not what you would call a hospitality focused country - our waiters were a bit surly, inattentive and generally annoyed with us (although I don't really blame them when it's a table of 10 people).  I didn't really know the difference in all the steak variations (and looking at the menu again, I'm still not sure), all I know is that I got a regular piece of steak done medium rare (18.95 euros).   When you get your steak, unlike in the US where they give you a sauce on the side, this one is soaking in it.  Like fully drenched in butter gravy.  You can feel your arteries clogging with every bite you take but it does keep the meat very moist and juicy.  We also split the beef carpaccio (11.25 euros) which came with arugula and truffle mayo.  It was thinly sliced with good flavor and after having that, I wished I got that as my main dish instead of a steak soaked in sauce.

Overall, it was a fun environment because it was full of lively locals and the food, while isn't life changing, is tasty, albeit a bit on the heavy side.  It's away from the city center, so it's a nice detour if you're looking for something different.

Photo Credit: Yelp

2 Weeks in Amsterdam - Part 3 - Visited 6/16-6/29/2018 2-4 Forks

The Commons  Wibautstraat 131 A, 1091 GL                                                                              3 Forks

Unfortunately, I didn't book my own hotel for my first trip to Amsterdam which was a super bummer because I ended up spending 2 weeks at a place called The Student Hotel.  At first I mis-read it as a student hostel and almost passed out but it wasn't too far from it.  Not to sound like a total snob but I feel that at this point in my life, I deserve to stay at places that are slightly nicer than a student hotel when I travel for work, but alas my company has a pretty low hotel cap rate.

I had just gotten back late from a weekend jaunt in Berlin and there was nothing really open in the hood.  Since this was a place catered more to kids, there was no room service.  I had to beg the restaurant to let me eat there since it was 10pm on a Sunday and they were very nice about it and let me order.  I quickly made a decision on the veggie pizza (9 euros) to speed up my order.  It said that their crust is made with sourdough so at least that was something interesting and different - and you know, it was!  The crust was thin and tasty and the veggie toppings were eggplant, olives and chili - not my favorite but at that hour I didn't really care.  There wasn't enough cheese to it which made it less of a good pizza experience for me.  It was fairly big pizza and you could definitely share it with someone else if you wanted to.

In the end, the meal was fine for someone who was tired and just wanted something quick to eat.  I would most definitely not rate this as a destination restaurant but if you're staying there, it's a fine on- site choice and because it's catered to students, the price is definitely very affordable.  Although your best option is to take a 5 min walk and try to get a seat at Rijsel - the only good thing about staying at this hotel.  Total bill: 12 euros

Photo Credit:  The Fork

Cafe Dauphin  Prins Bernhardplein 175 1097 BL                                                                     2.5 Forks

I'm sad to report that this was the worst meal of the trip.  I know it's hard finding a place within budget for a large team of people (there were about 20+ of us) and I don't know Amsterdam very well, so I certainly feel bad shitty on my co-worker who suggested it, but the meal was just bad.  Since it was a large party, we had a pre-fixe meal where you had to choose 1 of 3 entrees.  I can't remember what they were but the fact that I chose to get a hamburger in Europe, should be pretty indicative of how desperate I was.  I'll make this quick and say the burger was terrible and it's not because I'm being an American snob.  It was clearly a pre-grilled burger, which in of itself, isn't bad but the bun was so dry and inedible it made the whole thing taste bad.  The fries, which Amsterdam is known for, were like MacDonald fries, which are tasty but definitely nothing fancy.  Sadly everyone else was also not super into their food.  Again, even though I love food, I would hate to take on the responsibility to organize a large dinner with a tight budget so I'll give this place the benefit of the doubt that maybe if you just came on your own that it would be better?

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Tokyo Ramen Takeichi  Vijzelstraat 135, 1017 HJ                                                                       4 Forks

Apparently ramen is now making its rounds in Amsterdam and a few co-workers mentioned that this was the best one in town.  It was only about a 5 min walk from the office and it was a nice break from the cafeteria food.  The place is pretty small but it was easy to get a seat, even at lunch time. 

Obviously the menu is all ramen here but what was most surprising is that all the ramen was chicken based - no pork on the menu at all.  That made me a bit weary if this was truly a good Japanese place but I have seen a few chicken ramen dishes before and I guess it's technically healthier for you.  They have all the same flavors of pork ramen:  shoyu, shio, miso, and spicy.   They also have 2 vegetarian versions which is nice.  I got the recommend nouko shoyu chicken ramen with an egg (14.70 euros) and the chicken karage (4.80 euro) which is essentially fried chicken.   The fried chicken dish came with 3 pieces, which was the perfect size for me.  They were super juicy, dark meat pieces and served with a garlic mayo-like sauce.   As for the chicken ramen, it was rich and creamy as advertised.   The broth and noodles were both delicious and while I still prefer a pork broth, this was pretty darn good.  It even felt a bit less saltier - so maybe it is good for me!  It's definitely worth a try if you have time or are just craving something that isn't related to french fries.   Total bill:  21 euros

Photo Credit: Yelp